Commissioning is a systematic process that ensures new building systems and equipment meet the owner's project requirements by verifying the design, installation, operation, maintenance, and setpoints. Retro‑commissioning, also known as "existing building commissioning," is a similar process and can reduce a building’s energy costs by optimizing the existing systems’ performance. Both processes are mandated for a variety of local laws and green building certification programs and should be conducted by a certified commissioning professional. EN-POWER GROUP’s certified engineers perform both commissioning and retro-commissioning on a wide-range of building systems, including HVAC and domestic water equipment, building management systems, and lighting.

Energy Code Compliance

Energy codes set minimum energy efficiency standards for building construction with the goal of reducing carbon footprints. Energy code compliance is critical for new construction and buildings undergoing renovations and upgrades. As an engineering firm with a focus on energy efficiency, EN‑POWER GROUP effectively navigates energy code compliance for our design and implementation projects. We identify the most strategic compliance path for each project, and prepare and submit all necessary permits and inspection documentation.

Energy Modeling

Energy modeling is conducted to understand both current and future facility energy consumption and trends. Projects requiring a performance path for energy code compliance must complete an energy model that adheres to the minimum requirements of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Our engineering and compliance experience inform our decisions early on in the design process to achieve project compliance while meeting the individual facility’s requirements.

Green Building Certifications

National and international green building certification programs aim to establish more rigorous building standards by promoting the adoption of energy efficient designs and green materials. Benefits of these programs include decreased operational and maintenance costs, increased asset valuation and generated revenue, and positive public recognition. EN-POWER GROUP can help your building qualify for the following green building certifications:

ENERGY STAR

To be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, an existing building must earn an ENERGY STAR Score of 75 or higher, indicating energy performance better than 75% of similar buildings nationwide.

New construction or substantially rehabilitated buildings can earn ENERGY STAR certification by documenting (i.e., energy modeling) a minimum of 15% energy performance improvement from baseline energy code compliant buildings. The building must also comply with a Testing & Verification Protocol created to ensure that construction follows the design and to verify that it has met the modeled performance target.

All information submitted in the application must be verified by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) to be eligible for approval.

Enterprise Green Communities

As a national non-profit organization dedicated to affordable housing development, Enterprise has established its Green Communities Certification to promote sustainability and energy efficiency among affordable housing communities. The certification process requires all phases of construction to be documented and awards points for every requirement achieved by the building. All buildings with affordable housing units are eligible to apply and can earn certification if they achieve at least 35 optional points for new construction projects and 30 optional points for rehabilitated projects.

Green Globes

Green Globes environmental assessments and certification programs provide customized guidance in the design, construction, and operation of high-performance new construction and existing buildings. This certification program is administered by the Green Building Initiative and relies on both prescriptive measures and performance metrics to ensure projects achieve a variety of sustainability metrics.

LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is a globally recognized green building certification. The four LEED rating levels – Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum – are based on points earned across different criteria that include water efficiency, materials and resources, and energy performance for various project types for both new construction and existing buildings.

Passive House

Passive House buildings achieve maximum comfort with very low energy consumption by implementing “simplified” design principles that nearly eliminate heat transfer across the building envelope and optimize indoor air quality. These air-tight buildings have minimal mechanical systems, which are used to supplement passive heating or cooling strategies.

Passive House certification groups in the U.S. market include the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) and the Passivhaus Institut (PHI).

Local Law Compliance

City, State, and Federal agencies have adopted laws that respond to the threat of climate change. With increasing urgency, policy makers are passing energy benchmarking laws, adopting ambitious building energy codes, requiring buildings to conduct energy audits and to commission new or existing HVAC equipment.

New York City Department of Buildings – Special Inspections

Starting in 2009, with the goal of enhancing energy efficiency goals, New York City has passed a series of laws designed to reduce energy consumption for large buildings. Key laws include:

Local Law 84: Energy Benchmarking

Local Law 84 (LL84), also known as the NYC Benchmarking Law, requires owners of buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to submit their buildings’ yearly energy and water consumption through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, which provides a comparison against other similar buildings. The primary goal is to inform building owners of their property’s energy use, thereby creating a foundation for responsible energy consumption.

Building owners must comply with LL84 by May 1st of each year.

Local Law 87: Energy Audit and Retro-commissioning

Under Local Law 87 (LL87), buildings greater than 50,000 sqft must have an ASHRAE Level II energy audit and retro-commissioning performed by certified professionals every ten years. While the energy audit focuses on identifying energy savings capital upgrades, retro-commissioning measures focus on improving a building’s existing equipment to abate energy waste and optimize building performance.

Building owners must comply with LL87 with a complete Energy Efficiency Report by December 31st of the property’s compliance year.

Local Law 88: Lighting and Sub-metering

Approximately 20% of total energy consumption in New York City buildings is due to lighting in non-residential buildings. To strategically reduce this energy use, Local Law 88 (LL88) requires buildings greater than 50,000 sqft to upgrade all lighting systems to meet the New York City Energy Conservation Code by January 1, 2025.

LL88 also mandates sub-metering of non-residential tenant spaces exceeding 10,000 sqft. Building tenants are more likely to reduce their energy usage when they are aware of their actual consumption.

As provider of effective energy solutions, EN-POWER GROUP’s lighting and sub-metering teams will implement both solutions and meet compliance.

Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP)

The Façade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), formerly known as Local Law 11, requires owners of buildings with six or more stories, including basement, to undergo periodic inspection of the buildings’ exterior walls and appurtenances. This must be conducted by a New York State licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

EN-POWER GROUP understands that a building’s envelope is a fundamental component of a building’s use, comfort, and energy performance. As part of our engineering services, we inspect your façades thoroughly, identify and facilitate any required repairs or maintenance, and submit the technical report documenting all work completed to meet compliance.

Other Cities

As the importance of energy efficiency continues to gain national recognition, more and more local governments are adopting energy benchmarking and energy auditing into their compliance laws. While different local laws have different requirements, they follow national standards for multifamily residential, commercial, mixed-use, and industrial facilities. Our experienced team of energy efficiency engineers will help you navigate compliance and will maximize your energy and monetary savings.

On-site Generation

There are many benefits of installing on-site generation. Most notably, on-site generation gives buildings more autonomy, flexibility, and resiliency than traditional energy sources. Renewable resources such as solar electric PV will also provide both environmental benefits and have attractive financial paybacks. Technologies like combined heat and power (CHP or cogen) have further thermal benefits that will improve the payback of generating electricity on-site.